Learning and Cognitive Assessments – Support and Services

Pam Charlton is an educational consultant, long associated with Passage and with years of experience working with the international community of parents and children in Luxembourg. In this blog she outlines the early steps that can help you understand and intervene, when your child is struggling academically and tells you about the services she provides in this context.

If you are a parent with a son or daughter who is struggling academically, the question is where do you go for guidance and support in Luxembourg?

If your child attends one of the International Schools and is educated in English, and you or the school have concerns regarding your child’s progress, then you would need to seek professional support.

For some families a full psychological assessment that includes the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V), an intelligence test that measures a child’s intellectual & cognitive abilities that impact performance, is the best route to take.

WISC-V is used to assess for intellectual disability, intellectual giftedness, and specific learning disabilities; and is frequently part of a battery to examine cognitive functioning in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This will often require an appointment at Community Help Services (CHS) in Brussels with an educational psychologist or finding an educational psychologist in Luxembourg that can offer this type of service in English. Parents can contact kannerhelpdesk.lu who can provide contact details of educational psychologists that would be able to provide this service in English.

For some students an educational consultant who can identify the student’s areas of strength and areas that need further development is the answer, to provide the student, parents, and the school with a clear picture of the interventions that are required so students can reach their true potential in school.

If parents are concerned about their son or daughters educational progress, I would always recommend an assessment as early as possible within their education, as early intervention is key to students understanding of themselves as a learner and to support their educational progress and success.

Whether the parent decided to go down the route of seeking a full educational assessment with an educational psychologist who is qualified to complete the (WISC-V) along with other related assessments, or feels that an assessment by an educational consultant is more appropriate for the child’s needs is entirely at the parents’ discretion.

As an Educational Consultant I can provide parents with an educational assessment in English for students across primary & secondary education. The Educational Assessment Services offered are a source of advice and expertise to help to understand and address the learning challenges faced by your son/daughter within the education setting that they attend.

As an educational consultant I can provide the following;

• Advice on the best way forward in supporting your son/daughter’s education.
• To carry out a range of specialist assessments in English, in relation to the learning challenges that your son/daughter may be experiencing.
• To complete assessments specifically for external exam special arrangements.

The assessment service includes;

• The initial parental consultation session that will include information gathering regarding your son/daughter’s history and current strengths and weaknesses within the education system.
• The completion of a range of assessments on your son/daughter depending on individual needs.
• The completion of the full Educational Assessment Service report.
• The follow up parental meeting to discuss the outcome of the assessment report.
• A hardcopy of the educational report that is signed & dated, will be provided to the parents.
• The parents can then share the educational report with the educational setting to provide guidance on how the school can move forward in supporting your son/daughter in the most appropriate way.

I have more than twenty years’ experience within the field of education and nine years’ experience in the field of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and hold the following qualifications.

• Masters’ Degree in SEN & Inclusive Education, Middlesex University, London.
• Certificate of Psychometric Testing, Assessment & Access Arrangements (CPT3A – Level 7)
• The British Psychology Society Registered (Certificate number: 00495)
• Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU) Membership No: 304993
• Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties/Dyslexia, Hornsby International Dyslexia Institute, London

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in the services, I can provide.

Mrs. Pam Charlton – Educational Consultant

Email;  pamcharlton79@outlook.com